Filho Misses Weight for WEC 36 Title Bout

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- A mixture of disbelief and disappointment spread through the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on Tuesday, as World Extreme Cagefighting middleweight champion Paulo Filho stepped on the scales at the official weigh-in for WEC 36.

The undefeated Brazilian checked in at 192 pounds -- a whopping seven pounds over his contracted weight limit -- for his rematch with Chael Sonnen. “How much?” a dismayed Sonnen asked, with longtime trainer Matt Lindland at his side. The Team Quest middleweight had no such trouble meeting the 185-pound threshold; Sonnen tipped the scales at 184.5.

Filho, whose personal problems away from the cage in recent months have been well-chronicled, later weighed-in at 189 pounds. The contest will go forward, but in a non-title, three-round affair.

Filho submitted Sonnen with an armbar at WEC 31 in December, and though the American claimed afterward that he had not tapped out, replays showed otherwise. Sonnen has since defeated Bryan Baker by unanimous decision.

Meanwhile, WEC featherweight kingpin Urjah Faber (144.5) will carry a 13-fight winning streak into his showdown with American Top Team’s Mike Thomas Brown. Though he checked in half a pound over the 145-pound limit for the fight, Brown (145) made weight on his second attempt.

“I can’t wait,” Faber said. “I’ve been dying to fight here.”

Filho and Brown were not the only WEC 36 fighters who had trouble on the scales.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Rani Yahya (137) came in a full pound over the 136-pound limit for his highly anticipated bantamweight bout against Yoshiro Maeda (135). Even so, Maeda -- who was involved in a “Fight of the Year” candidate with 135-pound champion Miguel Torres at WEC 34 in June -- accepted the fight without forcing Yahya to cut additional weight.

WEC 36 Full Weigh-in Results:
Urijah Faber (144.5) vs. Mike Thomas Brown (145)
Paulo Filho (189) * vs. Chael Sonnen (184.5)
Jens Pulver (146) vs. Leonard Garcia (145.5)
Jake Rosholt (185.5) vs. Nissen Osterneck (184.5)
Rob McCullough (155.5) vs. Donald Cerrone (156)
David Avellan (185) vs. Aaron Simpson (184.5)
Jose Aldo (146) vs. Jonathan Brookins (146)
Carmelo Marrero (206) vs. Steve Steinbeiss (202)
Danny Castillo (156) vs. Rafael Dias (155)
Rani Yahya (137) vs. Yoshiro Maeda (135) **

*The Filho-Sonnen fight will now be a three-round, non-title bout.

**Although Rani Yahya came in 16 ounces over the limit at 137 lbs., Yoshiro Maeda has agreed to face the Brazilian without forcing him to drop another pound.